


I Promise You (joshler)

by oceangrraves



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: M/M, Suicide mention, but hes really sweet i swear, closeted tyler and josh, he's also a jock and at times a jerk, homophobia mention, lots going on for the beans, self harm mention, shy nerdy tyler, stoner josh tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-04-13 18:23:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4532466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceangrraves/pseuds/oceangrraves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh and Tyler's summer fling is cut short when Tyler has to go back to Ohio after the summer ends. Things get a bit complicated for the both of them when Tyler moves to California and ends up going to the same school as Josh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summer Lovin'

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic pls go easy on me,, this is very loosely inspired by Grease.

“What if I never see you again?” Tyler looked down to the sand covering each of their feet. He wiggled his toes in the damp sand.

Josh lifted Tyler’s chin, forcing him to look up at him. The wind blew gently, and the air smelt of salt and summer. Josh frowned at Tyler and wrapped his arms around him. “Don’t be silly, Ty. We’ll talk all of the time! We’ll… we’ll talk on the phone and have skype dates and-and…” He looked to the ocean, trying to find the words that would reassure both Tyler and himself.

Tyler and his family traveled from their home in Ohio to California that summer to vacation. Tyler, being the teenage boy he was, spent most of his time avoiding them down at the beach. That’s where he met the pink-haired boy, Josh. They clicked almost immediately. He had always daydreamed of a summer fling, but never expected it to happen. Especially not with a boy as attractive as Josh.

Tyler made Josh feel… right. He made him feel like himself and he made him feel like that was okay. After Tyler leaves, Josh will have to go back to pretending to be someone he’s not just to get by. He’ll have to hide his feelings and hide Tyler and pretend like his summer was spent in a way entirely different than making out with a small, tanned boy down at the beach.

Josh decided to stop talking and just enjoy the last few moments he’ll have in person with Tyler. He was due to leave any minute. They spent the next few minutes just wrapped up in each other. Josh rested his chin on Tyler’s head, taking in the smell of the lavender shampoo in his slightly ruffled brown hair. Tyler had his head up against Josh’s chest, just listening to his heartbeat and his breathing. He liked doing that. It kept him together, reminding him he was real, you know.

Then a phone rang. Giving an annoyed huff, Josh unwrapped himself from the other to let him answer his phone. Tyler frowned at the other, pulling his phone from his front pocket. He looked at his mother’s name flash across the screen and sat down on the sand, swiping to answer the call.

“Hi mom.” He spoke into the speaker, putting on a smile to hide his disappointment of her call. Josh started to walk up the beach, not wanting to intrude on their conversation. He also wanted to wipe the tears building up in his eyes. This was really the last time he’d see Tyler for who knows how long.

After a few minutes, Tyler hung up with his mother and jogged to catch up with Josh. He took his hand and said nothing. They both knew what was coming, so why bother talk about it? Hand in hand, they silently walked up to the boardwalk. This is where they’d have to say their goodbyes, for they couldn’t risk anyone seeing them.

Josh finally looked Tyler in the eyes and couldn’t stop the tears that came, and he wasn’t the kind to be super emotional. Now it was Tyler’s turn to wipe away Josh’s tears. “This isn’t the end, Joshy. I’ll text you the whole drive back to Columbus, okay? And I’ll- I’ll go and get a job to save up so I can come live here for college and then we’ll see each other again, I promise you.” He paused and studied the other. Josh was done crying and was now staring at Tyler with eyes filled of love. The pink-haired boy grabbed Tyler’s waist and gave him a kiss, soft and meaningful. This would be their last kiss for quite some time – he had to make it worth it. 

Tyler pulled away when he felt another vibration come from his pocket. He gave Josh a pout, which only made Josh’s heart swell. “I have to go, Josh.” Tyler pulled the shorter boy in for a hug, kissing his nose when he finally let go. 

Before Josh let Tyler go, he took both of his hands and looked around to make sure no one was in hearing distance, then he quickly said, “I love you.” 

Tyler’s mouth stretched into the biggest smile possible and responded, “I love you, too” before he left him.


	2. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler would like for his first day to go peacefully and, well, it doesn't go exactly as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello this chapter is a bit longer than the first one! i hope you enjoy!!

Riiiiiiing. Hundreds of students rushed to their homerooms. There was a small group of football players still out in the courtyard, girls surrounding them. In the center of all of them was a pink-haired boy. Most of the girls attempted to talk to him, since he was the star quarterback, but he remained single. Little did they know he had someone else on his mind. And they especially didn’t know that the other someone was another boy.

The girls eventually got the hint and left to make it to class. Now Josh was left with his other football buddies. They nudged him and asked him what he did over the summer. He could just feel his cheeks heating up at the thought of his summer. “Oh, you know… Spent it down at the beach with this girl. But, uh, I’ll tell you all about it during lunch. I’m going to class.” He answered and pushed passed his friends, who stared at him in confusion for leaving so abruptly. They shrugged it off and continued to goof around until a teacher yelled at them to get to class.

On the other side of the school, a tall, lanky boy fumbled with a map of the school trying to find his homeroom class. Giving up, he stuffed the crumbled up paper in his pocket and found the main office. He approached the superficial looking woman sitting at the front desk and awkwardly asked, “Um, excuse me. I’m new here and I have no idea where my classes are.”

“Try a map.” She scoffed at him and pulled out a copy and slid it across the desk to him. He was going to say he tried, but decided against it and just took it. He’d find them by himself, even if that made him a little late.

Studying the map and walking out of the main office wasn’t his best idea. He rounded a corner and walked right into another student. “Hey, watch where you’re—“ the other boy started, but stopped once he realized he was new. “Oh, sorry.” He said, picking up the map on the floor. He crumpled it up into a ball and threw it at a nearby trashcan, missing. “I’m Mark. Lemme see your schedule.” 

“Tyler.” The tall boy answered, pulling out his schedule from his pocket and handing it to the other. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and watched him awkwardly. He wasn’t the best at making friends, but so far he didn’t mind Mark’s company.

“Oh, sweet! We have English and lunch together.” Mark said, handing Tyler back his schedule. The bell rang again, signaling the end of homeroom and the beginning of first class. “You had algebra II first, right? I’ll show you where it is, follow me.” Mark waved his hand, gesturing for the other to follow him. He led him to his class just as the late bell rung. “See you at lunch.” And Mark was off to his class.

Tyler felt a little bad that he had made Mark late, but was glad he had made a friend. When he turned to face his algebra class, he felt all eyes on him. He felt his face burning up. Quickly he took a seat at the back of the room to avoid any more attention towards him. He hated that, all eyes on him. He’d rather just go with the flow than try to stand out. 

On the other side of the classroom, near the windows, a boy sat with his hood up and textbook propped up to cover his face. Tyler glanced at him a few times, curious as to why he was doing such a strange thing. Doesn’t want to be noticed, he figured. From the many times Tyler looked over, unable to concentrate on the teacher’s lecture of class policies, he could have sworn he saw a tuff of pink hair and –oh my god what if it’s Josh. His heart began racing. 

He tried texting him multiple times since he left, but after a couple of weeks, Josh had stopped answering. Tyler knew he should give up on him, knew that he shouldn’t have invested so much of himself in this “relationship” but he couldn’t help it. He loved Josh, even if he didn’t love him back.

He snapped back to reality. Anyone could have pink hair, he thought, trying to shake his head of any thoughts of Josh, trying to painfully move on.

Eventually, the teacher noticed the hooded boy. She glanced down at his seating chart for a moment before calling out, “Joshua Dun? Book down, hood off. You know the school policy. Tyler felt his mouth drop. Oh my god it IS him. He wiped his sweaty hands on his black jeans, keeping his eyes on Josh, waiting.

Josh pushed to book down onto his desk and lowered his hood, glancing Tyler’s way before playing it off. “Oh c’mon, Mrs. O’Donnell. It’s cold here by the window.” He grinned at the teacher, nodding his head towards the cracked window.

“Hm. Then why don’t you sit over there, next to...” She took another glance down at her chart, “Tyler Joseph, right?” She looked up at Tyler. He quickly nodded. His stomach was flipping with butterflies.

Josh looked at Tyler. His cheeks were beginning to burn again. He busied himself by playing with the strings from his black sweatshirt. “I’m, uh, I’m good. I’m not cold anymore.”

Tyler felt like he’d just been slapped. It was like he was straight up rejected. He looked at the clock on the wall beside him, to check the time and to blink away the tears he was fighting back. 20 minutes left. He couldn’t stop shaking his legs. This was the worst he ever felt, and he felt pretty bad most days. After a few minutes, he couldn’t take it any longer. He needed to escape and let it all out. Shyly, he rose up his hand and asked to go to the bathroom.

Josh watched Tyler the whole time. He wished he wasn’t so harsh. He wished he could talk to him. He shook it off, though. Maybe he’d talk to him later or text him or something. He felt bad for not answering Tyler every time he texted him or called, but his life wasn’t exactly easy. And he couldn’t openly say Oh; hold on, my boyfriend is calling. No one knew he was bisexual and he wanted to keep it that way. He saw the way his friends bullied other kids who were openly queer and he wanted none of that.

Once out of the classroom and away from Josh, Tyler scanned the empty hall searching for a bathroom. Finally finding one, he checked under every stall to make sure no one was with him. Then he went into a stall and locked the door, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. He carefully pulled out a silver blade and studied it. Tears were running down his face with every thought that raced through his mind. Josh. Josh. Josh. Josh. Josh. How could he just ignore me after all we’ve been through? He said he loved me. He pulled up his shirtsleeve, revealing many white scars and fresh red lines. 

Then he heard the bathroom door open. He quickly put his blade away and pulled down his sleeve, wincing at the sting of cotton against his marks. That pain will have to do, for now. He wiped his face with his sleeves and tried putting himself back together. He flushed the toilet to make everything seem normal and left his stall. He quickly passed the two other boys in the bathroom and started to walk back to class. The bell rung before he got there and he gave a sigh of relief. He could avoid seeing Josh for awhile.

Josh would try to do the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm really enjoying writing this. i'll upload chapter three within the next few days


	3. The Rest of the Day

Tyler had English next. Good. He’d see Mark again and he could distract himself. Finding his next class was a lot easier, too. He was in the classroom with minutes to spare before the bell rung. Scanning the room, he found Mark and nodded to him. Mark tilted his head to the open desk next to him and Tyler took his seat beside him.

“How’d algebra go?” Mark grinned.

The bell rung. Tyler whispered back, “not as well as I wished.”

Mark looked puzzled, but turned to pay attention to the teacher. Maybe Tyler would tell him about Josh at lunch, but probably not.  
Meanwhile, Josh’s next class was gym. It was his favorite class because he could show off how good of a runner he was and didn’t have to put much thought to it. Since it was the first day, the gym teachers just ordered the students to run laps.

Changed into his gym clothes, Josh went to the track and started jogging. He liked it; he could let his mind wander and just really think. It was peaceful, usually. But not today. He was slacking more than usual, his thoughts clouded with Tyler. He looked awfully good, too. Still tanned from their summer together. Josh’s heart raced with thoughts of their evenings together and wished things could be the same. But he wasn’t going to risk outing himself.

+

Lunch came next. Tyler and Mark made their way to the courtyard with their trays. A few of Mark’s film friends joined them and Mark introduced them all to Tyler. They all seemed to be getting along great and Tyler felt like he belonged, for once. 

Mark tapped Tyler’s shoulder. “So what happened in algebra?” All eyes were on him again, great. 

“Oh, it was nothing. Just… boring, you know. First days always are.” Tyler spat out. He uncapped his water bottle and took a long drink from it, so their attention would go elsewhere.

He was beginning to feel out of place again. Good things never last long. He spent the rest of his lunch quiet. Faking a smile whenever one of the guys cracked a joke or told a story about their summer at film camp, but letting his mind wander. Tyler was depressed. He always let his thoughts get the better of him. 

He squeezed his forearm through his shirtsleeve. He’d be okay for now.

Josh and his friends sat on the bleachers for lunch. Not under school policy, but he was a senior now and teachers learned to let Josh do what he wants, really. He put his hood up again and scanned the courtyard behind him, looking for Tyler. Before he could get very far in his search, one of his friends tapped his knee. “Yo, Josh, tell us about that girl you met this summer.”

Here’s where the lying starts. “Alright, alright, if you gotta know…” Josh smirked, his thoughts filling with Tyler. “Her name was… Taylor. God, she was beautiful. Tall and tan and a brunette with these cute, brown puppy eyes.” His stomach was flipping by just thinking about him. Okay, he wouldn’t lie that much, just switch up some pronouns and use a different name. Everything else? Totally the truth. 

“Enough about looks, Joshwa.” Another one of his friends teased. “Look, we know you’re a sappy guy but really, how far’d ya get?”

Josh rolled his eyes. “You know, maybe I’m not trying to get with every girl I see like some of you. Maybe I don’t want to rush things and actually build an emotional relationship?” The guys let out a fit of laughter. Josh sighed. 

The rest of the school day went slow for the two of them. As usual.

+

Tyler waited by the front entrance of the school for his mom to pick him up. He was saving up for a car and his bike was broken. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he stopped biting his nails to see who it was. 

Josh.

His heart started racing again. He is so head-over-heels in love with this jerk. He unlocked his phone and read the entire message: “We need to talk. come to the bonfire tonight ?”

Tyler exhaled a long breath before swiping up his keyboard to reply. His mom had arrived, so he typed quickly before getting in the car: “i’ll see…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> small, slightly boring chapter !! sorry for the wait. i wasnt really motivated to write!


	4. The Bonfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> josh tries to act all tough but really he's just a big baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: this chapter contains homophobic slurs and violence !!

The bonfire was held at the school to celebrate a new year or something like that. There were tons of students there, separated by social groups. Band kids, theater kids, loners with good music taste, and popular jocks with cheerleaders. That’s where Josh was found.

He leaned against his beat up car, his hazel eyes searching the premise for Tyler. His thumb kept checking his phone to see if he’d get a text from him, but all he saw was the minutes passing. His car was a real fixer-upper. He had gotten it for his 18th birthday last year and was fixing it up in his free time. He didn’t mind it. It was cheap and gave him something to do. Plus, at least he had a car.

Josh had changed what he was wearing for the bonfire. He figured if he were to meet up with Tyler and actually speak to him, he’d want to make himself look nice. He wore black skinny jeans with slits at the knees – Tyler loved those on him – and a gray t-shirt with a red and black flannel over it. He fiddled with the sleeves, rolling them up to his forearm, to keep himself busy.

Tyler borrowed his brother’s bike and went out. He wore black jeans with a black sweatshirt. If you couldn’t tell by now, black was kind of his favorite color. It kept him in the background, hidden. He got to the school fairly quickly. It was his father’s idea to move close to the school. He locked up his bike in the bike rack and started towards the glowing fire at the back of the school.

Once surrounded by other students, he began to get overwhelmed. There was so many people and loud, overlapping and contrasting music playing and alcohol all over the place. His head started to hurt and he desperately tried to find Josh. He was his comfort. He made it all okay. Tyler squeezed his hands into fists and attempted to bring himself back to reality. Having a panic attack and making himself look like the new freak in town wasn’t his main plan.

After some searching, Josh spotted Tyler. His palms began to sweat – he was as nervous as he’d be if he were going on a first date. He popped a breath mint in his mouth and chewed it up quickly. You never know what might happen. He told some of his friends that he was going to the bathroom, so they wouldn’t go looking for him, then started his way towards Tyler.

Tyler’s back was to him, so he gently tapped him on the shoulder. That made Tyler jump. However, once he was turned around, Tyler was glad he was facing Josh and not some guy who would beat him up. “Hi, Josh…” Tyler’s voice was shaky. Crap, he thought. It was painful saying his name. He hadn’t heard it coming out of his own mouth in so long. It felt like a ghost leaving his lips.

Josh, on the other hand, loved hearing Tyler say his name. The way it rolled off his tongue was beautiful to him. And his lips were so amazing. God, he wanted to kiss him. He missed his lips and his voice and him. “Hey, Ty.” Josh tried to lighten the mood. He could tell Tyler was nervous. But in all honesty, he himself didn’t know what to do. Do I hug him? Kiss him? Wow I want to kiss him. But even if they were on good terms, he couldn’t. They were in public, and neither of them was out yet.

There was a long silence. Well, not really. There was music coming from all different directions and loud talking surrounding them. But both of them felt nothing but awkward quiet. Neither of them spoke, but studied either other. Their first real look at each other since the summer. They were so close now. Tyler stood only a few inches above Josh, so he had to look down to meet his eyes, and God, were they gorgeous. The fire behind them burned into Josh’s eyes and made them light up. They were like the setting sun and Tyler could look at them forever. Kind of cliché, but he could almost get lost in them.

Josh was the first to break their silence. “I-… I missed you, Tyler.” He looked away, towards the fire with his friends behind it. It didn’t look like they had noticed him yet. Good. He looked back at Tyler, searching his face for a reaction. And what he did find, he didn’t like. Tyler seemed distant, upset. I really screwed this up. 

Before he could say anything else, Tyler spoke. “I don’t think we should talk in public. Too risky.” He was short with his answers. A sure sign he wasn’t feeling like himself. Tyler would always go on long spiels with his answers, going completely off topic but always tying everything together. Josh loved that about him.

Josh nodded. He was right. Pulling out his phone, he checked the time. It was around 7:30. “Right. We could… go get something to eat and go back to my place? My parents are on vacation and my siblings are working nights so we’ll be alone. Only if you want to, though.” That made it sound like I wanted to hook up, damn it. 

Tyler agreed. He was really nervous now. He would see Josh’s home for the first time. And he’d be completely alone with him. Oh boy. “I, um, have my brother’s bike near the front of the school.” Tyler said, sticking his hands in his sweatshirt pocket.

“That’s okay. We’ll drive my car up front and stick it in the trunk.” Josh turned and pointed to his beat up looking car behind them, which was surrounded by his friends. “C’mon, let’s go. Unless you wanted to stay here longer?”

“God, no. Let’s go.” Tyler smiled. The first time he smiled at Josh since seeing him. It lifted a weight off of Josh’s shoulders, put him at ease. That was another thing Josh loved about Tyler – his smile. His teeth were a bit crooked, which he was always embarrassed about, but Josh adored them. And he had dimples, one more prominent than the other. He loved his smile, but hated that he never saw much of it.

Josh led the two of them to his car, calling out to his friends. “This is Tyler, he’s new. I’m gonna go. See you guys later.” He unlocked his doors and Tyler began to walk past the large groups of boys, each with at least one girl by their side. It made him uncomfortable.

As Tyler walked past one of the cheerleaders, she stuck out her leg, causing him to trip and fall. He stuck out his hands to catch himself, his hands falling into a mud pile. The laughs of the jocks echoed in his ear. He heard one of the boys call out, “Get up, faggot.” Was it really that obvious? He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry. He picked himself up and wiped his hands on his jeans, avoiding looking at the jocks and girls and, instead, looking at Josh, who looked like he was going to explode with rage. He nodded to Tyler to get into his car, so he did. He watched Josh through the windshield, which had a crack going across it.

Josh crossed the width of the car and approached the boy who called out the slur, passing the others that were still laughing, mumbling about Tyler. Josh was so angry. It was bad enough that they used those degrading slurs, but to Tyler? And for them to trip him when he hadn’t even spoken a word to him. Josh was disgusted that he even interacted with these assholes. He tapped the guy on the shoulder and when he turned to him, punched him straight in the face, despite the other being almost a foot taller than Josh.

When the taller shook off the punch, blood trickling from his lip was visible. He didn’t even seem fazed by the hit – just angry. Oh shit. Within seconds, the two of them were down on the ground, hitting and pulling at each other. Everyone gathered around them, yelling and placing bets. Almost all of them were betting on the big guy. Tyler sat up in the car. He was terrified, but stayed safe in the car. He wouldn’t be any help to Josh. He may even make the situation worse. So he watched him get punched repeatedly in the face, blood on the ground, waiting for it to end. He started to cry.

After an eternity, someone pulled the two boys apart. They each spit out some blood or wiped it on their clothes. Everyone was silent. Only the fire crackled beside them.

“Go have your boyfriend stitch you up, Dun.” The taller one scoffed, and turned and walked off, gesturing for his big pack of friends to follow. Some stayed around, patting Josh on the back and telling him he did the right thing. All he could think of was Tyler. He didn’t even care that he had a black eye or blood running down his face. 

He yelled after the big guy but he couldn’t really be heard. Finally, he stumbled to his car and got in the drivers seat, turning to Tyler who was shaking.

“Oh my God, Josh… Are you okay? God, of course you aren’t look at you.” Tyler cupped the other’s face in his hands, looking over his wounds. Gently, he touched a cut on Josh’s forehead – the site of the blood and what was turning his pink hair red. Josh winced in response, shutting his eyes and actually realizing how much he was in pain.

“I’m... I’m fine. We’ll take care of it when we get home.” Josh sure was stubborn. He turned the key and the engine started.

“Are you kidding me? You’re so not okay to drive, Joshua. Switch sides with me.” Tyler used his full name; he was serious.

And Josh was in pain. He nodded and got out and they both quickly switched sides. Tyler looked over at Josh and rested his hand on his knee, which brought a grin to the pink-haired boy – which ended up hurting him and causing him to whimper. “I know it hurts, Joshy. I know.” Tyler mumbled to him, trying to comfort him. It felt good comforting him. It made it seem like nothing else was wrong beside needed to fix up Josh. It made Tyler feel needed.

Tyler backed out of the space Josh had parked at, which was really just a patch of dead grass. He drove to the front of the school and quickly got out and put his brother’s bike in the trunk, which he had a difficult time doing, but managed it. Once he got the bike in, he returned to the car where he found Josh with his head against the headrest, tilted towards Tyler’s side. Tyler pouted at the site of him. He felt so bad. I should have done something. He pressed on the gas and followed Josh’s mumbly directions to his house, forgetting entirely of the food they were supposed to get. He wasn’t very hungry anyway.

+

Once parked in the street outside of Josh’s house, Tyler got out and jogged over to the passenger’s side. Opening the door, he unbuckled Josh’s seatbelt and helped him out, despite Josh’s complaints that he could do it himself.

They walked together to the door and Tyler jiggled the doorknob, finding it locked. He huffed before remembering the set of car keys. He held up each key to Josh until he found the right one and unlocked the door.

Stumbling, the two of them made it inside. Tyler started to drag Josh over to the couch he saw, but Josh shook his head. “No… Can’t get blood on the carpet.” He grinned, which made Tyler feel a little better.

“Okay… So your room? Where is that, upstairs?” Josh nodded and Tyler led them upstairs and to the end of the hall, where they found Josh’s bedroom.

Josh made it to his bed, where he lay down and shut his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for reading again :) please leave comments !!


	5. Alien Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> josh and tyler take two?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woah sorry i never updated. personal stuff happened and i kind of neglected all of my fics, but hopefully i'll start again?

Tyler jogged over to Josh’s bathroom in a desperate search for a first-aid kit. After some time looking, he found a small box underneath the sink. He ran back out to Josh, sitting on the edge of the bed beside him. “Can you sit up, please?” Tyler asked, opening the box and seeing what it held inside. Bandages and creams and sprays. Josh obeyed, wincing as he did. His ribs really hurt and he hoped he didn’t break one. Quickly, Tyler got to work on the other. He disinfected his wounds and bandaged them up, pouting each time Josh winced. It was kind of funny – Tyler was so good at caring for others but so neglectful of himself.

The whole time he was being cared for, Josh just watched Tyler. His hand rested on the others knee and it made him feel okay. Every time he began to speak – to apologize or say anything – Tyler shushed him.

Finally, he managed to get his words out. “Ty, I really did want to text you, but…”

“Drop it.” Tyler interrupted. “You’re in no condition right now. And, I don’t really care about that. Not anymore. I understand.” 

Josh insisted on speaking. Really, it only hurt his ribs. “It’s just that I’m not out yet and I couldn’t find the time to text you or call you and I know that’s a shitty excuse but I just hope you can forgive me and we can start again?” 

Tyler was done fixing him up. He closed the first-aid box and put it on the nightstand beside the bed. He took Josh’s hands. “We will. Okay? The past is the past, Josh. I understand. I’m not out yet, I know how it is.” He paused. He couldn’t believe he was here right now, with Josh, again. “You should rest.”

Josh lay back down and tapped the open spot beside him. “Lay with me.”

Tyler was nervous again, his heart racing. He got up and walked across the room and lay next to Josh. It was silent for a while; they both just look at his ceiling, which was covered in glowing stars and planets.  
“I’m kind of into aliens.” Josh chuckled. His room was painted space blue with pictures of UFO’s and posters of Scully and Mulder scattered along his walls. Even his bedspread had aliens on it. He was one hardcore believer.

Tyler looked around his room, taking in all of the details. He smiled, “I can see that. I’m the same way, except with skeletons.”

“Do you think they’re real? Aliens, I mean. I do… We can’t be the only living things in the universe – that’s selfish.”

“I never put much thought to it. But I guess it does make sense. …Yeah, I guess I believe in them.” Tyler liked these conversations. It made it seem like everything was normal and he was just having a normal conversation about aliens with his boyfriend.

Headlights could be seen from Josh’s bedroom window. Tyler sat up, pulling back his curtain and looking out. “I think it’s one of your sisters?”

Josh sat up and swatted a hand. “Don’t worry about her.” He got out of the bed and peeled off his flannel. He threw it in a pile of other dirty clothes. He started to take off his shirt, but winced in pain. “Uh, Tyler?” He looked to him and saw him playing around with all of his trinkets on his dresser.

When Tyler looked up, Josh’s sister called from downstairs, “Josh? I’m home!”

“Yeah, okay. I have a friend over – Tyler.” Josh called back, smiling at him. Then he spoke to Tyler, quieter and softer. “Can you help me take off this shirt? It’s got blood on it and all…”

“Yeah, yeah sure.” Tyler rushed over to him and gripped the edge of the top. It was soft in his hands. Carefully, Tyler pulled up the material and got it over Josh’s head. He tossed it with the flannel. 

Tyler felt something in his stomach. Josh must have felt it too. Josh cupped Tyler’s face in his hands and held it there for a moment, just looking at him. He did that a lot. The space between them was unbearable and everything felt a bit tense. Then Josh reached up and kissed him. It was soft and quick, leaving Tyler wanting more. 

Tyler was burning at the feeling of Josh’s lips against him. God, he missed him so much.

Josh held Tyler’s hands. They were really soft, gentle. He walked them back towards his bed. With both of them sitting, he intertwined their fingers. “Okay… This might not be the most romantic, but… Now that we’re both here, together, finally – Tyler, would you be my boyfriend?”

Oh my god.

Tyler’s face lit up. He nodded, stumbling around his words. “Yes! I mean, uh, yeah, of course.” He was way too excited. He leaned down and kissed him again, sliding a hand down to his waist. Josh happily accepted the kiss, giving in more. Did he mention how much he loved Tyler’s lips? He loved kissing them even more.

Tyler broke their kiss when he needed to breathe. Then he thought. Then he got sad again. “This still all has to be a secret…” He stood up. He was angry. “God, Josh! Why can’t we just be normal?”

Josh was taken back by Tyler’s sudden outburst. “Ty, I know, I know. We are normal. But we can’t put this all out there yet. Not with your family and my friends the way they are. We’ll do it eventually. And… we’ll have each other.” 

Tyler was calmer now, just upset. He glanced toward Josh’s alarm clock on his nightstand. It was nearly 10:00pm now. “Oh, it’s almost my curfew… I should go.” He felt like he ruined the night.

“Oh, yeah, okay. I’ll… I’ll see you tomorrow. In algebra.”

Tyler walked over to Josh and kissed his forehead. “You rest. I’ll show myself out.” He had to restrain himself from saying I love you. It was too soon to get serious again. He’ll try to take it slow this time, even though he did love Josh a lot.

Tyler walked down the stairs and said hello to Josh’s sister, who was watching TV. He popped the trunk of Josh’s car and retrieved his bike and rode home, slipping into his house from the backdoor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thnx for reading :) leave comments please


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